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{ Irrelevant Headcanons } 

1. So it’s pretty well established on my blog that Severus had ‘friends’ in Slytherin. Destin Wilkes, Eric Avery and Lucas Mulciber, specifically. I have covered the fact that Destin died in the First War and that he was the only legitimately good man among the group, that his death wrecked Severus in a lot of ways and Eric and Lucas were cold to it. 

   Eric is someone who has been played by multiple people over the years, mainly because I would fling him out as a request on forums; in 2012 things took a turn and honestly it was so defining that it became permanent canon for Severus. 

   What is not mentioned as much is the fact that Eric Avery dies in the Second War, actually in the midst of the OOTP timeline. He discovers that Severus is working for the side of light and he knows full well that Lucas despises Voldemort but won’t act against him so long as Eric remains loyal. In truth, Eric is tired and does not want to continue, so by his view, he set them free by making a scene at a Death Eater’s meeting and getting himself rather gruesomely murdered. 

   This had a lot of arching implications but overall, it means that as of the death of Eric, Lucas officially turns coat and Severus has one less person to worry about in the war. 

2. Something else not particularly covered is the fact that as deeply devoted as Severus is to his friends – the relationships are honestly not all that fabulous. 

   Destin is neutral so let’s start there. They were never very close the first six years at Hogwarts; it wasn’t until Severus’ mom died and his depression skyrocketed that Destin took active interest and started helping Severus cope, or try to. When Severus did a terrible thing, Destin was there because he low key had a watch on him and that formed a life debt. After which Destin and admittedly Lucas were the most on top of Severus’ mental health. ( We will get to Eric in a minute. ) 

   In any case Destin became a good friend in the last year, and when everyone sort of grouped together to follow the Dark Lord he pretty much just swept with the crowd. He didn’t know what to expect and at the time it seemed like the fastest way to network with the in crowds. Destin did not find Death Eater business conscionable and immediately began covert efforts to stop things; he was later killed when on a mission for the Dark Lord he couldn’t stop what was happening so he called in Aurors and went on a rampage against the Death Eaters. Ironically, it was an Auror who took him out.

   Of the three, he was the best friend Severus had beyond Lily Evans.

   Then there is Lucas. Lucas literally wanted nothing to do with him, low key considered him irritating and high key hated the attention he had to share with Severus because Eric decided he liked him. It was in second year they started to bond and this was because Severus was covered in bruises so Lucas offered to show him how to fight. They bonded in violence from the very start and this never changed between them. A lot of communication between them is violent, they are one another’s literal punching bags when they can’t emote any other way.

   In any case, Lucas tries to be a good friend in his own way. He is a blunt instrument and the son of a cult so he has his share of issues. He doesn’t understand grief and he actively encourages violence in a lot of ways. He means well but he is not the best person and shouldn’t be gone to for advice. By the time the second war rolls around Lucas IS loyal to Severus, but Severus is eternally aware they are very different people and that their unifying factor was Eric. Eric was the one who tamed their violence and gave them purpose, so without him they’re both at a loss with what the hell they’re fighting for anymore.

   And then there is Eric. Eric who, by Severus or Lucas account, is sweet. He’s softer than both of them, certainly. He brings out the protectiveness in both of them, absolutely. But he is by no means a good person.

   In fact, Eric Avery is the worst of all of them.

   He actively manipulated Lucas from day one, recognizing the strength in the larger boy and forging a friendship with him fast in order to be well set when he got to Hogwarts with his very own bodyguard. He saw Severus and his vulnerability, his poverty, and saw in him the perfect sycophant. Severus was more of a pet to Eric than a friend, and while Severus never saw it – Lucas did. And he called it out frequently, but it never stuck for Severus and Eric laughed it off. Destin was frequently redirecting Eric’s attempts to garner yet more debt from Severus and Lucas was often drained by how hypocritical Eric could be. 

   Eric was not all bad and he had a lot of redeeming qualities, but his reasons for making his friends were gross and his reasons for ‘letting them go’ were gross as well. Eric did a lot of good things for Lucas and Severus, but they mostly just evened out the gross ones. Getting either Severus or Lucas to acknowledge this truth about Eric – especially after his death – is nigh impossible. 

3. Lucas was very territorial over Eric and Severus was mostly oblivious to this. Destin noticed it but never saw reason to comment. Eric was to Lucas what Lily was to Severus – the first friend, and therefore the most important one. When Eric died, Lucas and Severus had a violent altercation that might have escalated far further has Severus not broken their unspoken rule and cried out in pain while they were railing at each other.

   These are men with very high pain tolerances. Men who’ve been pummeling one another since they were twelve. Hearing Severus cry out in pain was an enormous red flag for Lucas, and because of this medical issues that had been ignored on account of Severus’ dual lifestyle were addressed. Lucas at this point could have been turned to Dumbledore’s banner, but Severus never spoke the truth and instead, Lucas carried on his own war privately.